My family and I began celebrating the Lord’s Day last August. The Lord’s Day celebration consists of prayers, worship, sharing, eating bread, and having dinner. It is performed at the end and beginning of a week. My father heads the ceremony while mother assists. We do this at home after hearing mass. After the worship and prayers, we will begin our dinner. My father would ask us to share the things we are thankful for, for the past week. For example I say, “For the past week, I am thankful I was able to submit my college application last Thursday with the help of Daddy. I’m grateful I finished my project in Business Finance. I am also thankful to my brother because he carries my bags every time we walk home,” etc. This we do on Sundays. On Sundays, we close the ceremony with prayers again. During dinner time, we tell our plans and we intend to do or finish for the following days.

We have been doing this for four weeks now. My Mommy always insists to celebrate it. It takes up a lot of time at night. We usually finish around 8:30-9:00, excluding the time we clean the table and wash the dishes. Supposedly, that’s the time I do my home works and other activities. I could’ve finished studying my lesson instead of performing the Lord’s Day. I could’ve finished a lot of things with that amount of time. Sometimes when I have many things to accomplish, I secretly wish we just celebrate it next week.

But then the more we do it, the more I realized the importance of celebrating the Lord’s Day. First of all, it gave me and my family time to share what happened to us for the past week. We were able to catch up with each one’s activities and concerns. It gave us time to just talk and share about anything we want to. Slowly, it was also helping strengthen our relationship as a family. Another significant thing this celebration is giving me is the constant relationship I am having with the Lord. We pray and worship Him weekly therefore I get to feed my soul with its needs. Furthermore, our sharing about the things we are thankful for made me realized that we received plenty of blessings every week. It made me see that God really cares for us. Lastly, it helped put my following week in perspective because we say things we aim to finish. The benefits of performing the Lord’s Day actually outweigh the disadvantages of it. From now on, I would always look forward to celebrating it with my family.

By Christine Mae G. Meollo
Grade 12 ABM 2

“REFLECTION PAPER”

I am firstly and foremost a student that came from a public school. I just encountered a full-on, head-on subject on religious education last year. This is the continuation.

As new student, I was really amazed on the Mass of the Holy Spirit because it was so wonderful and somewhat magical. I was full of awe when all of us are holding candles, standing, and being silent in prayer. It’s just so serene. It was providence for me to experience again that kind of silence like what I have experienced before in the cathedral.

During class, there isn’t really much to say as I really want to listen and learn something. I’ve only got a short background on the Bible and such. I haven’t really extensively widened my knowledge about it. However this is what I can say, there have been realizations through the course that I was part of something bigger and something very much older. It’s a privilege to have been learning this history of the church, beliefs and practices to an extent that they are reinforcing my faith.

I became aware of what we call the hindrances of the church. I came across with another in depth history of how the church began. What I think God is telling me is to acknowledge the information, the knowledge all around me from the past, present, and what it can make for my future, especially the church’s future.

As human being who is capable of surviving this era, to adapt is the key. With the changes in me, the church may also begin to change. Just like with its definition, it was once coined as building, a home, a place for faith and now it is defined as the People of God. My ways of using technology like the internet, before is only for me to communicate with people but now I will use it to spread the Word of God.

As a Catholic and Vincentian student, some steps I would take is to find silence once again, go out of my comfort zone and be more active to the events and activities of the church. I want to complete the “Simbang Gabi” and I want to experience the so called “Salubong” before Easter Sunday because even change is the only thing permanent in this world, I would still uphold the traditions of the church in ways that I can.

I will never forget that the church is a hidden paradise, a place for rest with the Lord. It is so welcoming and has the warmth of open arms. I should never forget that wherever I go my experiences of being with the church taught me that these would all bring me to a brighter tomorrow.

By Neil Jasper T. Peńa
Grade 12-ABM 2

This is Not the End

I am both happy and sad at the same time after our catechism ended. Happy because it was successful but I am sad because we have to say goodbye to the kids. One of my unforgettable experience in my life is I became a catechist even in just a short period of time. I shared Jesus Christ to the children. Even if I am not taking BS Education, I experienced being a teacher where you have to prepare your lesson plan and visual aids late at night and wake up early in the morning because our catechism is at 7:00 in the morning.

At first it was challenging for me because I am also worrying about out Field Instruction 1 which is one of the most important requirement in our course as BSSW student. I admit that I gave less to our catechism at first. I came late at the school and put less effort in the preparation of the lesson plan. When I saw the smile and the eagerness of the children to learn and hear more about Jesus, I found myself being happy in what I am doing. I became excited every Thursday and came early at the school. In our last two meetings with the children, I told myself that I have to pay for my shortcomings and laziness during the beginning of our teaching. I prepared lot of visual aids that would help catch the children’s attention. Likewise I prepared interesting activities for them such as games and action songs. I am thankful that even in a short period of time I was given time by God to have fun with the children and at the same time bring Him to them.

Although OUR Re subjects are finished it doesn’t mean that my responsibility as a Catholic and as a follower of Jesus Christ is also finished. Next semester is our Field Instruction 2 where we will be deployed in different communities in Quezon. Wherever I will be assigned I will promise that I will always bring Jesus with me. I will share Him to all people whom I will meet and encounter. Even when I graduated, I will be forever a Vincentian-Cordian.